Born to Kill [Lady of Deceit] **** (1947, Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak) – Classic Movie Review 5,253

The exciting 1947 RKO Pictures American film noir Born to Kill  Lady of Deceit] stars Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor and Walter Slezak.

Welcome to the tale of the SILKEN SAVAGE and the BULLET-MAN, ‘the coolest killer a woman ever loved’!

Director Robert Wise’s 1947 film noir crime movie Born to Kill stars Lawrence Tierney as killer Sam Wilde, who in Reno weds the nervous (and no wonder!) Georgia Staples (Audrey Long) and involves her in his nefarious activities. But he is really attracted to her magnetic but calculating, divorced half-sister, Helen Brent (Claire Trevor).

Wise’s hard-bitten, cynical and exciting thriller is powerfully acted, especially by B-movie bad guy actor Lawrence Tierney, who has a field day, and by Claire Trevor, who inhabits her character and the lowlife world as expertly as if to the manner born. Walter Slezak also impresses as the corrupt detective Albert Arnett.

Born to Kill is chillingly and fragrantly handled by director Wise, who looks very much at home away from the sweetness of his biggest hit, The Sound of Music (1965). It is his first film noir, followed by The Set-Up (1949) and The Captive City (1952). The film’s nasty, hardboiled tone made it a controversial crime movie in its day.

The screenplay is written by Eve Greene and Richard Macaulay, based on the 1942 novel Deadlier than the Male by James Gunn.

Also in the cast are Walter Slezak, Phillip Terry, Elisha Cook Jnr, Isabel Jewell, Esther Howard, Kathryn Card, Tony Barrett, Grandon Rhodes, Demetrius Alexis, Symona Boniface, Ruth Brennan, Ellen Corby, Sayre Dearing, Joe Dixon, Neal Dodd, Jean Fenwick, Lee Frederick, Ben Frommer, Harry Harvey, Martha Hyer, Perc Launders, Sam Lufkin, Beatrice Maude, Al Murphy, Tommy Noonan, Netta Parker, Sammy Shack, Phil Warren, and Napoleon Whiting.

Born to Kill is directed by Robert Wise, runs 92 minutes, is written by Eve Greene and Richard Macaulay, based on the novel Deadlier than the Male by James Gunn, is shot in black and white by Robert De Grasse, is produced by Sid Rogell and Herman Schlom, is scored by Paul Sawtell, and is designed by Albert S D’Agostino.

It was re-titled Lady of Deceit in GB.

Jason Robards Sr’s scenes as the conductor were deleted.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,253

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